Torchwood Incursion
by musingwoman
Summary: Is Jack responsible for the death of Gwen's parents? If owen is dead and gone how come he's just offered to buy Gwen a drink?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

She was never really sure what had happened. There had been the bump, she had woken in hospital and then gone home to her aunties. Her parents were gone – dead, she was an orphan. Gwen Cooper, aged ten. No ma and pa.

During the days and weeks,years after,she never cried in the day time, she never even cried herself to sleep. The counsellors were not sure if she was coping really well or really badly. But Gwen didn't know how to be any different.

She just got on with life as it appeared before her. School, friends, work.

Sleep was a different matter. Sleep was when the dreams came, the tears and the fear. Dreams were when He came. Tall, silent, always dressed in a type of blue uniform, apart from his boots. The young Gwen noticed that – big, big boots. Brown and supple. He was often in the background of the dream – when she re lived the Bump as she called it. There was always a feeling of sadness from him, helplessness even. When she cried he would be there, once she felt his arms around her, and when she looked up, he was crying too. Once she thought she heard him whisper against her hair – 'sorry, so sorry, there was nothing I could do'. As she grew older, and her new life took shape she dreamt less, and saw him less. Her success at school and work helped her to bury the memories. Then she found Rhys, comfortable, splendid, funny Rhys. Utterly dependable, sexy (at least to her). The man in blue stopped visiting her dreams. On her wedding day she did have a strange feeling of being watched, daft really because there were eighty guests all with their eyes on her – of course she was being watched......, her eyes were drawn to the balcony in the old Wesleyan chapel. Had that been a blue coat disappearing from sight? The minister ahemmed and drew her attention, do you Gwen take Rhys to be …... when she had a chance to glance at the balcony again, there was no one there.

Eighteen months later Gwen was sat out in front of The Café Celi, having just delivered the fresh pastries from the bakery where she worked, Ianto the café manager had made her one of his amazing coffees. She didn't know how he did it, but it was definitely the best coffee in Cardiff. For once this year the morning sun had some heat in it and she was relaxing for ten minutes, planning her work day, who on the shift needed a kick and who needed a bit of TLC. Little Glenys had been harassing the work experience boy again.

Suddenly hearing a commotion in the square, Gwen looked up – some yob in a Halloween mask and a blue boiler suit was running through, chased by a tall guy in a blue uniform, he caught the Yob by the shoulder and was about to MACE him – Gwen found she was on her feet running towards them "Jack !Jack!" startled he turned and looked her straight in the eye, surprise and consternation chasing across his face. Taking advantage of his inattention the yob twisted away from his grasp, and ran for it, Jack cursed and ran after him, glancing back as he ran, Gwen followed, rounding the corner, but they had disappeared. There was no sign of them – the crowds walking along to work and shops were undisturbed by any Yob pushing through, there was no tall stranger in uniform pushing them aside. It was as if they had never existed.

Confused (and not a little puffed – must cut down on the Danish) Gwen returned to the café. Ianto was waiting by her table.

"What happened? You took off like a bat out of hell – didn't know you could move that fast -"

"Didn't you see – the yob running through – the man chasing him?"

"No, I had my back turned, just saw you running to the corner – no one in front of you thought someone must have tried to pinch your purse."

"No, no it was him- him I had to talk to him"

"Who Gwen?"

"The man chasing the Yob. I know him. I know him from somewhere. I just saw him and the next thing I knew I was running after him, but when I turned the corner he had disappeared."

"You must have it bad – does Rhys know about him?"

"Its not like that – he's something to do with my childhood – I have to talk to him."

"I thought you didn't remember anything about your childhood?"

"I - I don't, I just know he is connected in some way – he used to appear in my dreams."

"Do what?"

"(mumble) appear in my dreams."

"Gwen, are you sure you didn't fall sleep in the sun?. I didn't see or hear anything, and I've

been out the front for the last ten minutes."

"I know what I saw Ianto. I know it was real. He was here."

"OK Gwen, but he ran into one of the busiest and narrowest streets in Cardiff and just disappeared and the yob as well? No sign of people being pushed out of the way? Or even looking slightly huffy? Perhaps you need to see someone about this?"

"Oh for Gods sake Ianto, I've got to get back to work. Thanks for making me feel really, really stupid."

Gwen picked up her bag and stalked off.

"You're welcome Gwen, and yes the coffee was on the house – well my wallet actually."

As she walked away Ianto touched his ear 'Tosh, there has been another incursion – and this time we have a credible witness."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Jack stalked angrily into the hub. "Gwen! Gwen where the hell are you? – I need a word NOW!"

Gwen looked up from her workstation, what on earth had got into Jack?

"What were you doing at Café Celi? And why did you distract me like that? You know better than to distract someone dealing with a weevil!"

"I haven't been out of the hub all morning – remember you ordered me to get the statistical returns done for the aliens deprivation of liberty inspection next month?"

"Oh come on Gwen – admit it , you sneaked out for a coffee?"

"Er why would I do that when we have the best coffee maker in Cardiff right here?"

"But Ianto was there as well – that made it doubly distracting. I couldn't understand why you both didn't help?""

"Jack we have not been out of the hub all morning. You can check the log if you like."

"Then what the hell just happened?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Two weeks later Rhys picked up the post, "one here for you Gwen!" He went through to the bedroom and chucked it on the inert form snuggled below the duvet. It muttered at him -tea Tea!

Sat up in bed with her favourite white toast (home-made,) Gwen opened her letter.

"Rhys, look at this, it's an invitation from my GP surgery – a study they are doing into post traumatic stress and its effect on Children. What do you think?."

"Not sure its good to be dragging up the past like that – you've come a long way Gwen."

"It says its just to talk about its effects – not to do counselling."

"I'll leave it up to you babe –I'll support you whatever – must dash – be late for work."

So Gwen found herself at her GP surgery. There was a new receptionist. A vast improvement on the old harridan who was usually there and very pretty, a refugee from the Japanese empire. She ushered Gwen into the Doctor's office.

"Do sit down Ms Cooper, I am Dr Harper. Dr Owen Harper. I am the psychologist conducting the study. Let me tell you a little about it and then you can decide if it's for you. (And we'll decide if you are for real," Owen thought.)  
As he talked Gwen tried to place his accent. He spoke welsh fluently, but the accent was wrong.

"Where are you from?" She interrupted.

Thrown slightly, Owen said "From?"

"Yes, you speak welsh really well but your accent is foreign."

"Oh, I'm from London way. Old kingdom of Mercia. Sound of Bow bells and all that."

"You're a long way from home then. How come you speak welsh?"

"Well, I like travelling, and when I travel I try to fit in."

"You like travelling and you came to Cardiff and you bothered to learn welsh?"

"Well actually I speak most of the British languages – Cornish, Gaelic , even a bit of Danish for when I go up to the east coast."

"Oh. I just thought you were from Aberystwyth"

"Yes well perhaps we should get back to the study.......(God this is more difficult than I thought – first posting out of training and I'm spotted for being a traveller)".Few people travelled across all the Kingdoms of Britain despite the treaty that now supposedly united them.

Gwen decided that the study sounded OK.

Owen asked her to give him a history of what had happened to her. He was particularly interested in her dreams – timing, content etc. Did they ever spill over into her everyday life? Gwen found herself telling him about the incident at the café.

"Right, right" said Owen, "so this Yob, describe him to me ? This chap what did he look like?."

"And you just got up off your chair at the café, chased after them and they disappeared?"

"When you put it like that it does sound a little unlikely. Ianto thought I must have dropped off in the sun, had a dream and acted it out like."

"Right, who's Ianto?"

Gwen explained.

"OK "said Owen, they were on first name terms now, "thank you very much Gwen. That was really interesting. There will be a follow up appointment in about a weeks time. If you could make that with Ms Sato on your way out? (Shame you're married he thought. Or we might have made that an informal appointment...Just have to work on Tosh's defences instead.)"

Tosh and Owen were examining the tape of Gwen's interview. Tosh was running a programme based on body language and speech patterns to determine how truthful she was being. Owen had already checked the physiological readouts from the covert scan they had taken.

'So everything checks out? She is being truthful, and the time scale fits the spike in the rift's activity level?' said Ianto.

"Looks like it" said Owen.

"OK you two get off. I'll report back to Torch One and get a decision from them about what we do at the next appointment."

"Honestly, it'll all be a load of old whatsit – no ones ever seen a real alien -."

"Then how do you account for the Doctor?"

"Some old geezer in a blue police box with curly hair and a long scarf– come off it!"

That night Owen was on the pull. Tosh had turned him down - again. He walked into the Everything Changes night club and shoved his way to the bar. My God – that was Gwen Cooper over there – "Scrubs up well" he thought. "Perhaps her old man is here?"

He looked round but she appeared to be with just some girlfriends. He tapped her on the shoulder – "buy you a drink Ms Cooper."

Gwen whirled round. White as a sheet.

"Owen" she gasped "Owen? How? What? What kind of alien bloody trick is this?" She backed away from him like he was infectious, reaching behind her under her leather jacket.

At that point Owen was shoved in the back from behind. He turned to yell at the bloke to mind his self and when he turned round Gwen and her girlfriends had disappeared.

God he was really going to have to change that aftershave. It was only then that he realised she had spoken to him in English.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four.

"Jack I am telling you it was Owen. Large as Life. Owen. In the bar of the Red Dragon. He knew me Jack. He was wearing that bright pink shirt he always wore when he was on the town."

"Gwen, Owen is dead."

"It was Owen."

"No way he came out from the nuclear plant Gwen. Also he couldn't drink or eat or have sex. Why would he be on the town? "

"I don't know what is happening Jack, but that was Owen."

Ianto was running Tosh's rift programme, searching and locating rift activity at the time of the odd sightings. Jack walked behind him, coffee in hand. He stroked the nape of Ianto's neck as he passed. Ianto felt a delicious shiver pass through him. He loved Jack, yet how did he know Jack felt the same? Ianto wasn't blind -he had seen the looks that sometimes passed between him and Gwen. Then there was Captain John, still on the planet as far as they knew, also Jack was probably incapable of turning down an invitation from someone he really fancied. Although come to think of it he would probably invite Ianto along as well. Had done so on several occasions in fact. Ianto pushed his jealous feelings to one side. The programme was running slowly, he needed to concentrate. It was at times like this they really missed Tosh.

Finally the programme coughed up the results. An elegant blue graph appeared – definite rift activity at the time of both sightings, and a very slight time anomaly. Just a few seconds in fact.

"Sooo, that would account for it then, the rift is causing a time anomaly and we are just re-experiencing earlier events?" Said Gwen, relieved.

"No, the time difference is only a few seconds. Not enough to have pushed you that far back in time. There was something else though. A reading on a graph that I don't understand. I need to work a bit more on Tosh's programme so that I can understand what it is. Where's Jack?"

"Getting ready to follow up a weevil sighting – asked if you could go with him in five?"

"What about you?"

"Na I need to carry on with the Deprivation of liberty inspection prep – they are due next week. Didn't realise we had so many aliens in the cells, did you?"

"Well it is me that makes sure they are clean and fed Gwen."

"Good point."

Jack walked into the Café Celi, he spotted Ianto at the counter. He'd been quick, it was only ten minutes since Jack dropped him off at the hub with the weevil to put in the cells

Jack felt great – it had been a good capture.

Ianto and Lisa looked up as the door opened. A tall good looking bloke walked in. "Wow" said lisa, "Wow indeed" thought Ianto. The guy was gorgeous. Ianto felt like he did when he watched Bob Jenkins on the rugby pitch at school. Feelings he had resolutely put aside when girls discovered him. To his surprise the guy walked right up to him, and kissed him passionately on the lips, cupping his chin in one hand and running his thumb gently along his jaw line. Ianto knew an instant of response, this bloke smelt wonderful and kissed like an angel.

"Did ya miss me Ianto?"

"Who the fuck are you?" said lisa. The man took one look and stepped back pulling a gun and pointing it at her.

"What's going on Ianto? What's she doing here?"

The girl screamed, Ianto opened and shut his mouth too shocked by what was going on to do or say anything.

"Ianto! Tell me what's happening here, 'cos it don't look good from where I'm standing!"

The door opened behind him.

"Er Jack what are you doing pointing a gun in the café Celi?"

"Ianto?" Jack glanced behind him, then quickly back to the Ianto in front of him. He was pointing his gun at empty space.

Once Jack had told him what had happened (disappointingly without a practical kissing demo) and Ianto had stopped laughing at the expression on Jack's face, they had gone back to the Hub to look at the Rift programme results.

Okay, This is the graph I don't understand and these are the statistics that go with it."

"Hmm. I think I've seen something like this before, but it's from way in the future – it looks like a multiverse jump. It's real dangerous, do it wrong and one of the universes collapses, hopefully not the one you are in at the time."

"So who's doing the jumping?" asked Gwen, "we know its not us."

"We need to find out if there have been any other incidents like ours. Ianto you cover the police reports, Gwen the paranormal websites."

"And what are you going to do Jack?" asked Gwen

"I think its time I located John – just to make sure he isn't playing any stupid games."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

The team were in the boardroom eating Pizza, an exotic takeaway from the influx of immigrants from the newly liberated Italy. This one had in fact been made by Gwen, the team were doing some market research for her, although Gwen thought it was the team at her GP surgery.

"She can really cook, this is better than the authentic ones from Casa Romano." said Owen

"That would be because Casa Romano is being run by Romanians." Replied Ianto

Owen pouted.

"To business gentleman" said Toshiko. "We now have two credible incursions of the same person, which builds on all the myth and reports of this man from the legend sifting programme I wrote. We have 2 confirmed sightings and twenty unconfirmed. Also intriguingly he appears to know Ianto"

"Intimately" smirked Owen.

Ianto blushed. "He recognised Lisa too, but he was really afraid of her – she was a real threat to him"

"Lisa claims to have never seen him in her life before. She has now returned to Torch one, and I have asked them to interrogate her further."

"For Gods sake Tosh – she's one of us – if she says she's never seen him before then she is telling the truth!"

"We can't take any chances. The threat from alien invasion is too real Ianto."

Ianto subsided.

"There was also the Gwen I saw in the night club." said Owen "She spoke English, and when we reviewed the CCTV footage her hair was longer and she was slimmer – no muffin top as it were. She also only appeared in a few seconds of footage – just long enough for me to talk to her"

"You said she was armed?"

"Pretty certain she was" Owen took a swig from his beer bottle.

"Right, we need to see if there are any other rift patterns that match the ones from these sightings, I'll do that. Owen you interview Gwen again tomorrow, see if you can get any more clues. Ianto ..."

"I'll get back to the café – there are still some scans to do, easier whilst its closed."

"You're just hoping he turns up again for another snog" sneered Owen.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six.

Gwen and Ianto had reported back. Overall there had only been three strange sightings which couldn't be accounted for by drugs, mental illness or alcohol. Two were found in both police reports and paranormal websites.

"What about John? "Asked Gwen.

"He's in Columbia, I interrupted him in the middle of a fight between drug barons and police.

Said he didn't have time to be making multiverse jumps, and anyway they were banned now. Not that that would stop him if he thought he could make a profit."

"Did he say which side he was fighting on?" said Gwen

"What do you think?" replied Jack

Suddenly there was a smell of Pizza in the air, Jack looked up from where he was leaning on the boardroom table, Gwen and Ianto turned towards the door,

Gradually appearing like ghosts, sitting around the table were Toshiko, Owen and another Ianto. They were eating Pizza and talking animatedly but it was not possible to hear what they were saying. Toshiko pointed a remote towards the TV screen on the wall behind Jack and as she did so she froze in shock, staring straight at them. Ianto (.2) followed her gaze, Owen carried on chatting for a few seconds, then realising something was wrong, looked up too. He leapt to his feet pointing at Gwen, then they faded as quickly as they appeared.

"Well that was interesting" said Jack

" I would never put that tie with that shirt" said Ianto

"Oh, My, God, Owen and Toshiko" gasped Gwen"are they alive – are they ghosts? Can we bring them back Jack?"

"Uh Uh. I am pretty convinced we just saw into a parallel universe. But that was definitely not a multiverse jump. More like a cross over, a bump between two universes, an incursion if you like."

"So how does that happen?" Asked Gwen.

"Not sure. Can be just a natural phenomenon, but it's happening a bit too regularly. Maybe something to do with the rift. You can think of the mutliverses as being like bubbles, floating in the air. Depending on the wind currents they can blow towards each other, sometimes they stick together, sometimes they blow each other apart. Perhaps being similar our universes are attracting each other."

Gwen lay awake in bed thinking about the Owen and Tosh she had seen in the incursion.

What were they like? Was Owen always after the sex and booze? Was Tosh as seemingly shy and diffident? She hadn't looked like it – she had looked confident, in charge, even her clothes were sharper, her hair more coiffed. She had a sharp feeling of grief, tears pricked her eyes and she sobbed. Rhys turned over in his sleep and put his arm across her, automatically soothing, "shh love shhh." Gwen snuggled into his warmth and drifted off.

Next day Gwen collected the CCTV footage from the bakery that had reported a strange welsh woman, who appeared to be trying to sell them pizza, claiming it was a new innovation from Italy. Trouble was she was speaking welsh, and they could only follow part of what she was saying, then she just disappeared.

Ianto set it up to show on the boardroom screen. Jack joined them.

The footage was black and white and a bit grainy.

A woman in low cut jeans ,boots and and a belly top appeared in front of the door. She had mid length dark hair, huge dark eyes, and an elegant way of walking. She was in fact a

doppelgänger for Gwen.

"apart from the muffin top" said Ianto

Gwen gave him a dagger look "her or me?" she had to ask

"Well if you don't know if you have a muffin top or not......."

"Children, Children" said Jack " pay attention to the pictures!"

The girl walked up to the counter and started talking to the manager. It was apparent he couldn't understand her. When she showed him the content of the box she was holding he just laughed and shook his head, pointing to the chiller cabinet further down the shop -apparently they already had Pizza. As he pointed the girl just vanished.

"OK, said Jack, "that had all the hallmarks of an incursion, I think we are looking at a natural phenomena"

"But all the evidence we have shows it is only effecting us, only members of Torchwood are crossing universes." said Ianto

" At the moment we just monitor the situation. It will probably sort itself out"

"I don't think that's a good idea at all" said a voice behind him.

Jack whirled round "Tosh?"

"That's Ms Sato to you. I don't believe we have met before."

"But you know us right?"

"Not you. We know the names of the two with you. But not you. Probably just an indication of the differences between our two universes."

"Well I am very unique. Cap'n Jack Harkness at your service,"

"But I know that name – its the name of the night club singer down at Everything Changes, the Peter Pan of Songsters he's billed as, OK if you like that sort of thing." Said Owen.

"Didn't know you could sing Jack" said Gwen

"You should hear him in the bath" muttered Ianto

"Two Ianto's, now that brings up some interesting ideas" said Jack.

Ianto .2 blushed. Jack laughed. "OK Ms Sato, down to business why don't you think we should just monitor the situation? We probably don't have much time to talk."

"Ten minutes. I have managed to stabilise the incursion using energy from the rift manipulator."

"Impressive,"

"I am a genius Captain Harkness."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Gwen, this was a very different Toshiko to the self effacing one they knew.

A young man walked into the room, he had deep blue eyes and mid length red hair. He touched Toshiko on the shoulder, remember he said under his breath. Toshiko zoned out for a second, her face softened and her eyes sparkled, suddenly looking much more like the Tosh they knew. It passed quickly, "this is Adam, he is also a member of our team,"

Adam sat down.

Ianto found his breathing coming much faster. He was afraid of this man, but he couldn't place him, couldn't place him at all, yet he knew he was a threat. Ianto found he was sweating and he wanted to cry.

"Jack, Gwen I don't know why but he is dangerous. Whatever you do don't let him touch you."

Jack and Gwen backed away a little. Adam looked up, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about, Adam's been with us for the last three years, saved my back many a time" said Owen.

"But you haven't worked for us for three years" said Ianto.2 "This is your first posting"

All eyes turned to Adam.

" In your dreams" he said to Owen "you've been drinking again" he leant forward and touched Owen on the shoulder "remember?"

Owen shrank down into his chair "yeah yeah sorry everyone"

"Back to business we only have five minutes left. I am concerned that these incursions are only affecting Torch members, but also that incursions into our universe are mainly of you Captain Harkness. The one involving Ms Cooper appears to be a natural phenomenon. I need to know why you are crossing over so frequently and what threat you are to us." said Toshiko

"Firstly, I am no threat to anyone, well providing they aren't a threat to the earth and secondly how many incursions do you think I have made?"

"Confirmed now four, unconfirmed maybe twenty, twenty five."

"Not me. I think you need to talk to your pub singer"

"There are temporal anomalies and rift spikes concurrent with the incursions. They match the confirmed sightings of you, I ask you again, what are you doing in our universe?"

Jack leaned forward onto the table.

"I don't like the tone of your voice Ms Sato. As I said investigate your pub singer. Also take some advice, I think you have an alien problem sat right next to you. I suggest you deal with that before you worry about universe bumps."

Toshiko looked confused. She was unused to having her authority questioned, but there was something about this man that convinced her. He smiled a wide sympathetic grin at her. "Being in charge is never easy Ms Sato, but if you have even a tenth of our Toshiko's humanity and bravery, you'll do well."

"What happened to her?"

"She died" said Gwen

"I hope it wasn't something silly like falling under a bus. I hope she did good"

"Oh yes. She did good. Very good indeed"

There was a crackling sound, Toshiko started typing on a keyboard in front of her.

"Damn, the incursion is destabilising – look I'll download the interrogation we did with Gwen Cooper – maybe that will jog your memory." She picked up one of their scanners from the table and linked it to her own. Then the group faded away.

Jack picked up the scanner. " I'll link this to the forensic computer. It's stand alone so if there is anything damaging in it we can isolate it."

"I'll make fresh coffee. Shame they didn't bring pizza. I'm famished." Ianto

"I can take a hint. I'll ring for some" said Gwen

"You mean you're not going to make it?" said Ianto.

Gwen smacked him as he walked past. "very funny"

Ten minutes later they were gathered in front of the forensic monitor. On it Owen was sat in what looked like a GP surgery, in the visitor chair was Gwen, she was talking and crying at the same time.

"There seems to be a problem with this though" said Jack. "It's impossible to understand what they are saying"

"What do you mean?" Ianto and Gwen said together

"The language is scrambled somehow"

"Actually they are just speaking welsh – shall I translate?" said Ianto

When he had finished, Jack sat down on the sofa in the rest area. He looked pensive and upset. "My God, I think I remember..........."

It was about 1990. He was following up a sighting of a Blowfish. It had stolen a car and Jack was picking up the tail. The police had been called off, and Jack swerved in behind to take up when they dropped back. It was raining, sometimes pelting down horizontally onto the windscreen then suddenly stopping. He was having to switch almost continuously between intermittent and fast speed on the wipers. "Bloody welsh weather. Why couldn't I have landed up in California." visibility was down to a few yards, fortunately the Blowfish hadn't turned out the lights and Jack could just keep him in sight. He accelerated and the turbo booster kicked in with a roar and the car shot forward. The Blowfish took a sharp left up a ramp onto a dual carriageway Jack hadn't noticed. He pulled the steering wheel over, feeling the car fishtail on the slick road, he drove into the skid a little, regained control and drove fast up the ramp. Glancing quickly in his wing mirror he accelerated onto the dual carriageway. It had been a good move by the Blowfish. The road was moderately busy and in the rain and dark it was difficult to distinguish one car from another. He drove quickly, changing lanes frequently, searching for the Blowfish. Suddenly he spotted it pulling off at the next exit. Jack pulled across three lanes of traffic, horns blaring and headlights flashing, down the ramp, across the roundabout and into a country lane. Even darker here, he slowed a little, on a single track road like this you didn't want to meet anything coming the opposite way. The rain moderated a little but became more constant. The sound of the wipers was irritating him, but when he put it on intermittent it didn't clear enough for him to see. Pulling round a blind bend he saw a four by four on its side in a ford. Usually a ford, but tonight a small but raging torrent. It was pouring into and around the car. An old style Land Rover with an open back. Probably from a local farm. Of the Blowfish and his car there was no sign.

ack got out of his car, pulled out a Maglite and holding it high walked over to the wreckage. There was a moan from the back. He looked inside. A young girl lay there, in a heap, trying to push herself up, hands sliding on the sloping rain wet wall. Jack reached in, getting his hands under her armpits he heaved her out over the tailgate. As he did so he looked towards the front of the Land Rover. Two people, a man and a woman, neither wearing seatbelts, the woman draped almost lovingly across the man. They were very still, eyes gazing at nothing, blood dripping slowly from noses, mouth and ears.

He heaved the girl out and walked over to his car, propping her up he opened the back door and laid her across the seat. She looked at him with huge frightened black eyes.

In welsh she said to him "What happened? Where's my Ma and Pa? Who are you?, my tummy hurts." She began to sob and shiver. Jack held her in his arms, "I'm so sorry, so sorry, there was nothing I could do."

"I called the police and ambulance. They arrived and when the girl had gone off to hospital, I gave a statement and left. I always wondered why I never heard anything from the police, presumed it was a Torchwood thing. I never saw her again, well not when awake. Sometimes when I was asleep, but not for years. As for the wedding incident? I vaguely remember hearing voices, in that old Wesleyan chapel out Splott way. We were following up a weevil sighting. I remember I was on the balcony, but I didn't see anything, just a kind of echo – voices and an organ that kind of thing."

"It doesn't account for the other sightings though" said Gwen.

" I think they are this pub singer they are talking about. I think he is that universes version of me. I muck up the readings on all sorts of scans and he probably does too. I think he keeps his head down most of the time, but if he is like me he can't avoid trouble – it just seems to follow us around."

"Too true" said Ianto, "but what are we going to do about telling Tosh and the others?"

"We'll just have to wait and see if they turn up again. I wonder what that Adam guy was? Hope they survive!"

"But aren't these incursions dangerous – you said sometimes universes blow each other apart?" queried Gwen.

"There isn't anything we can do about it. It has always gone on and this universe seems pretty tough. Do you know the author Enid Blyton?"

"Yes"

"Wrote a book called the Magic Faraway Tree? Every land is another universe she visited."

"Don't tell me Noddy and Big Ears are really Aliens?"

"Only in this universe"

Sometimes Gwen couldn't quite tell when Jack was laughing at her.

Fin


End file.
